Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-11

In the three years following the close of
the war between Il e states the federal
government collected the vast sum of $685.
100000 in round numbers, by an excise
1aX of cents per pound upon cotton.
This tax applied to cotton raised during
the wsr and that remained ON hand at the
close OF hostilities, as well as newly
grown cotton. In every cotton state
there are living to-day thousands of
farmers, old men now, who paid this tax.
1t was an outrageous tax, and at the time
Of Its imposition was denounced, even by
some Republican members of Congress,
as essentially arbitrary and unjust. But
the war spirit was high then, although
the war was over, and there were troops
to enforce the payment of the tax. The
southern farmers cursed the yankees
roundly but paid the money. Senator
Berry of Arkansas ilaid before the United
States Senate the other day a memorial
passed oy the Arkansas Legislature, pray
ing Congress to refund this $685.
900, 900 TO the states from which collected.
We have not seen copy of the memorial
and therefore cannot assume to consider
its details without knowing what they
are. The tag, as has been said, was
wanton imposition and excessively bur-
densome upon the southern people who
paid it. They were poor enough at that
time, without having to endure supple
mentary hardship. If the money or q
portion of it could be returned to the
men who paid the tax, or TO their heirs,
such restitution would be simple justice,
but with the lapse Of time it Will be ut
terly out Of the question to do this.
Thousands of those who ought to be ben
eticiaries have died; their heirs are scat
tered here and there, and the capacity to
make such proof as ought to be required
Ito guard against fraud would be diff
cult beyond conception. 1t is not proba-
BILE that in one case out Of hundred any
record was kept Of the transactions. It's
too late in the day for any meas
ure that ccntemplates restitution
to individuals. The books of the
treasury department show the amount
of tax collected from each state,
and with those figures as basis the
money might be divided out, pro rata,
among the cotton states, and that is
about all that would be practicable. 1t
is to be doubted, however, if even such
procedure as that would be sanctioned
by public opinion. The money has gone,
like the money invested in slave property,
and the southern people are so sef-relI-
ant and prosperous now that they are not
Grooming over such losses. II Congress
wants to spend S65, OOO,0 of the idle
money in the Treasury, let it be applied
to building navy and fortifying the coast
cities of the country. That is policy in
which the whole country is interested,
and which points to the future instead of
recalling the past The south has man
aged to get along without any pay for the
slaves she was compelled to free, and
csn hold her own without res
titution of the cotton tax, unless
the money could go into the hands
of those who paid it, which is simply
out of the question now. Let the Arkan-
sas Legislature memorabilia Congress to
revise the tariff, build navy and fortify
the coast. Those are living issues; the
other is dead. q =